The Korea Herald

Italian court delays hearing on fatal shipwreck

Jul 22, 2012

GROSSETO, Italy (AP) ― An Italian court on Saturday postponed until Oct. 15 a preliminary hearing seeking to determine charges against those responsible for the Costa Concordia shipwreck that killed 32 crew and passengers.The court decided to delay the hearing, which will decide whether to indict Concordia’s captain and others, in order to examine an expert assessment of audio evidence from the black box data recorder. Capt. Francesco Schettino’s lawyer told reporters outside the courthouse that
EU regulator: Gene therapy treatment OK

Jul 22, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― The European Medicines Agency is recommending the first-ever approval of a gene therapy treatment in the EU, in a significant move for a type of treatment that has so far failed to deliver on its promise to cure diseases. In a statement on Friday, the EMA said Glybera, made by Dutch company uniQure, should be approved across Europe for the treatment of an extremely rare disorder that leaves people unable to digest fat. The treatment consists of a gene that makes a protein to break
Norway’s tolerance tested on massacre anniversary

Jul 22, 2012

OSLO (AP) ― Norway’s commitment to face xenophobia with tolerance on the first anniversary of bomb and gun attacks by a confessed right-wing killer is being put to the test by hostile reactions to an influx of Gypsies from Eastern Europe. Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg says he has been disturbed by the tone of the debate over the small camps of makeshift huts set up by Gypsies in Oslo and other Norwegian cities. After neighbors complained of unsanitary conditions, noise and illegal co
Booby traps defused at U.S. killer’s home

Jul 22, 2012

Batman shooting victims named; Obama to meet with families of dead, local officialsAURORA, Colorado (AFP) ― U.S. police said Saturday they had cleared all remaining threats from the booby-trapped apartment of the gunman accused of the Batman theater massacre that left 12 people dead in Colorado.The alleged shooter’s home was cleared after a lengthy operation and as the names of those who died early Friday were released ― including a six-year-old girl whose mother was also injured and two U.S. se
Obama to meet Batman shooting victims, families

Jul 22, 2012

AURORA, Colorado (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will visit Colorado on Sunday to meet victims of the Batman cinema massacre, a day after police entered the gunman's booby-trapped apartment.The visit also comes after police revealed the names of the 12 people who died -- including a six-year-old girl whose mother was seriously injured -- while asserting that the alleged killer had been planning
High caffeine levels in the Pacific Ocean affects sea life

Jul 22, 2012

In the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Oregon, sites with high caffeine levels have been discovered.Previous studies have also found high caffeine levels in the North Sea, the Mediterranian, Boston Harbor and Sarasota Bay.The unnaturally high caffeine levels are becoming a problem since they harm sea life."We humans drink caffeinated beverages because caffeine has a biological effect on us. So it
More than 700 women died in honor killings in Pakistan last year

Jul 22, 2012

At least 705 women were killed last year in Pakistan in crimes known as honor killings, media reported on Friday.Honor killings are usually committed by men against women family members suspected of having extramarital affairs or who marry without their family‘s blessing. Most honor killings are committed by family members.Pakistani media quoted the Aurat Foundation, a women’s rights group, as saying in a report that cases of honor killing rose 6.74 percent in 2011 from a year earlier. It said i
Texas Air Force instructor gets 20 years in prison

Jul 22, 2012

An Air Force instructor was sentenced to 20 years in prison Saturday after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in a sweeping sex scandal that rocked one of the busiest military training centers in the U.S. A military jury at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio found Staff Sgt. Luis Walker guilty Friday night on all 28 charges he faced, including rape, aggravated sexual contact and multip
Putin signs protocol for Russia to join WTO

Jul 22, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the protocol for the country to join the World Trade Organization, capping an accession process that took 18 years.The signing announced Saturday by the Kremlin comes a week after parliament ratified the agreement.Russia had been the largest economy outside the global trade organization.Advocates say that joining the WTO will improve foreign investment a
Bloodbath as gunman kills 12 at U.S. Batman screening

Jul 21, 2012

AURORA, Colorado (AFP) -- A masked, black-clad gunman in full body armor opened fire at a packed US movie theater showing the new Batman film Friday in a bloodbath which left at least 12 dead and nearly 60 injured.Chaos erupted when the gunman tossed two tear gas or smoke grenades into the audience at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," then gunned down terrified patrons as they scrambl
Romney tied with Obama, polls show

Jul 20, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― With polls showing Republican Mitt Romney drawing even with President Barack Obama, the incumbent heads to Florida on Thursday to court voters in one of the swing states that could determine the November election.Florida is the largest of the dozen or so toss-up states that are drawing much of the two candidates’ attention in the 2012 race, and Obama, who has already made several campaign stops in the Sunshine State this year, is well aware that a Romney victory there could de
IMF: U.K. economy needs more stimulus

Jul 20, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Britain’s economy risks suffering permanent damage, the International Monetary Fund warned Thursday as it called on the Bank of England to cut rates and the U.K. government to step up public investment and potentially relax its austerity measures. In its annual report on the country, the IMF suggested that the Bank of England may need to cut its base interest rate even lower than 0.5 percent, the all-time low which has been in place since March 2009. “We expect the economy to grow
China’s yuan on track to become Asia ‘anchor’ currency, ADB says

Jul 20, 2012

SINGAPORE (AFP) ― China’s yuan is increasingly being used to settle trade transactions in Asia, gradually cementing its way to becoming a regional ‘anchor’ currency, the Asian Development Bank said Thursday.The rise of the currency’s use in trade and in the financial markets is likely to nudge China to further open up its financial sector if it wants the yuan to play a bigger global role, the Manila-based lender said.The yuan, or renminbi, “is being increasingly used to settle trade transactions
Spain OKs austerity plan, investors still wary

Jul 20, 2012

Tens of thousands protest austerity in 80 Spanish citiesMADRID (AP) ― Concerns over Spain’s attempts to restore market confidence in its economy resurfaced Thursday after a bond auction went poorly and its borrowing costs edged higher ― even as the country’s parliament passed the latest round of harsh austerity measures designed to cut its bloated deficit.The ruling conservative Popular Party used its majority in Parliament to push through the measures, which include a rise in sales taxes and a
At least 10 killed in U.S. cinema shooting: report

Jul 20, 2012

At least 10 people were killed and several wounded early Friday when two gunmen wearing gas masks and body armor opened fire at a crowded cinema premiere in the U.S. city of Aurora, media reported.Police arrested one of the alleged gunmen and were searching for the other, following chaotic scenes at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," the latest Batman movie, KDVR, a local Fox affiliate